Bahrain opposition leader asks summit for help

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain’s main opposition group is urging participants at an international security summit hosted by the Gulf nation to urge it to open talks with protesters.

Leader Sheik Ali Salman told thousands of supporters Friday that the summit — called the Manama Dialogue — should push Bahrain’s rulers to recognize the “demands of the people” and open negotiations. Bahrain’s majority Shiites have waged nearly nonstop protests since February 2011 to seek greater political rights from the Sunni monarchy, which is backed by the U.S. and other Western nations.

The annual conference in Bahrain brings policymakers and political figures — including high-level Western envoys — from around the world to discuss current affairs. The U.S. delegation to the summit is led by Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and includes Arizona Sen. John McCain.